The Will to Live
by WolfieRed23
Summary: When Hinatea Misaki walked into Hope's Peak Academy, she didn't expect to get sucked into the killing school life. She just wanted to reunite with an old friend, get some answers and graduate. Instead, she's stuck in a death game, the likes of which has never been seen before. Yet in the middle of all this despair, a small hope still shines, that hope being their sheer will to live


**EDIT: This story has been edited since it was originally posted due to suggestions from Arcawolf after I first posted it. It is now longer and I hope it reads better than the original chapter did. The next chapter will not be posted for a bit but it will be posted sometime after this. I hope you all enjoy the newly improved chapter! Arcawolf, let me know if there's anything else I should work on!**

 **To everyone reading this, thank you for coming to see my story! This story is being posted so I don't forget it's here as well as see what kind of reception I'll get with it. First off, Hinatea's is pronounced 'Hina-taya', if that helps. And I've added some dialogue for the other characters, just cause it felt a bit more realistic to me. Let me know if everyone's in character! And I know the story surrounding Tea will seem a little confusing at first but I promise everything will be explained, I've got a lot planned for this girl.**

 **And for those wondering, this will be made into a series of stories that follows DR1, DR2 and the anime DR3 and maybe one for DR IF as well, but that's a maybe. Tea will not be my only OC, as I have one planned for DR2 as well. But that's a story for another time. I will also probably do one for DRv3 as well, once it comes out in English and this series is finished.**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the prologue!**

* * *

To most people, the name Hinatea Misaki brings to mind the Chef That'll End World Hunger, the Savior of the Kitchen, the Cream of the Cupcake and many other ridiculous titles. The title that is used the most often, however, is one that has only been given recently: the Ultimate Chef. Both in culinary skills and baking skills, Hinatea Misaki is seen as the best of the best at only seventeen. However, to me, she is more than her title, she's a human being with emotions and goals outside of cooking. Everyone thinks she's simply a prodigy who revealed herself to brag about her talent, which is deserved in their minds. But I know the truth. That is not the reason Hinatea Misaki is a chef. How do I know? Because I am Hinatea Misaki, Tea for short. And today is my first day at Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Chef.

I stare up at the majestic school in awe before I take a deep breath and look down at my outfit.

I wore a white button up shirt under a white chef jacket, a dark green tie, a knee length dark green skirt and black ankle boots. Around my neck, a leather cord rested with part of it tucked into my shirt. My wavy curly pale green hair was in a low side pony tail that rested on my left shoulder and all my bangs were held back by a thin black headband. My bangs gently framed my face and partly fell into my dark gray eyes.

I look up and brush my hand across my pony tail. My nerves skyrocketed as the thought crossed my mind that I might be underdressed. I shake the thought off immediately. What I wear matters little to who I am, no matter what _he_ may think.

"This is it." I whisper as my left hand plays with the leather cord, though it was still tucked into my shirt.

Though I look calm on the outside, inside I'm freaking out. And for good reason too. I know exactly who I'll find inside this school, someone I've wanted to see for years yet never got the chance to. Today, finally, fate has brought me here to this school and given me this chance. And that scares the hell out of me. But I have to do this, to save not only myself but the person I'll find as well. Of course, I'll never admit they're part of the reason I'm even attending this school.

"Let's go." I smile as I enter the gates and walk up to the front door of a school I had never, in my wildest, dreams thought I'd attend. I'd only ever had one goal when I was cooking and that goal was never attending Hope's Peak Academy.

But I'd be insane to not have accepted the chance to attend this school. Perhaps…this will help me reach my goal after all? Well, there's only one way to find out.

* * *

Entering the main hall, I look around when a wave of dizziness overcomes me.

 _What…?_

I raise my hand up to hold my head just as everything turned dark and I knew no more.

* * *

I blinked repeatedly as my senses came back to me only to find myself lying on a desk in…a classroom.

 _A classroom? How'd I end up here? The last thing I remember was…fainting in the main hall._

On top of that, why would I be sleeping in a classroom anyway? I've never fallen asleep in class before, not even when I pulled an all-nighter for a bake off I participated in the next day.

 _So, why…?_

Slowly, I sat up. Before I examined my surroundings, however, I notice instantly that there is a gold ring on my right ring finger.

 _What? But how-?_

I reach up and felt the now empty cord that rested around my neck. Confused, I take the cord off and slide the ring off my finger and onto the cord before I tied the cord around my neck once again and tuck the ring inside my shirt, where it's been for the last ten years and will never leave.

Satisfied, I slowly stand up and fix my hair, my fingers brushing against a ribbon that was tied around my pony tail, my fingers freezing as I did so. In the corner of my eye, I could see it was a sunshine yellow and was long enough to brush against my shoulder.

 _Maybe I used it this morning and just don't remember? Cause there's no way whoever did this would just tie it around my pony tail._

Shaking my head to rid myself of these confusing thoughts, I began to examine my surroundings. I was in what appeared to be a simple classroom, though the surveillance camera and blocked windows made it _way_ more complicated than it should have been. I look at the desk where I had been laying and notice a pamphlet there.

How did I not notice that when I was sleeping? And why would I sleep on any kind of paper at all?

This was getting weirder and weirder by the minute. However, I push these thoughts aside, taking a deep breath as I did so.

"Looks like a kid drew it." I mutter to myself as I pick up the apparent orientation pamphlet and read it.

 _Hey there new kid! The next semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world._

"What…?" I whisper, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I folded the pamphlet up and stuffed it into my chef's coat's pocket, not wanting to look at it for another second.

It may look like it was drawn by an innocent kid but the wording made an ominous feeling fill the pit of my stomach.

Just then, my eyes caught a clock where the time was displayed. It was almost 8:00 AM.

 _I'd better head to the main hall, I guess._

I made my way out of the classroom before I made my way to the main hall. As I walked, I noticed all the windows were blocked by thick metal plates and the hallways gave off an…ominous feeling.

 _This…doesn't look too good. What the hell's going on here?_

The ominous feeling in my stomach seemed to increase with each step I took. If this kept up, it'd be unbearable soon. But I had to keep going, I need to know what's going on. Otherwise, this feeling would choke me out until it'd kill me.

It was a worse feeling than the one I got whenever I had to walk home at night.

* * *

There were already several people there when I entered the main hall, all of them as confused as I was, based on how most of them started questioning me. Apparently, I was the tenth person to join them, according to the boy who introduced himself, loudly, as Taka, the Ultimate Moral Compass.

Of course, I was more concerned with the _giant vault door_ than the number of people in the main hall, even if one of them was subtly staring at me.

I could feel _his_ eyes on my back but whenever I turned to meet _his_ eyes, _he_ was already looking away.

I had a good idea of who was looking at me, though I didn't dare say anything. Reuniting with old friends in a time of so much confusion and anxiety was the _last_ thing I wanted to do, even if _he_ was a part of the reason I came to this school.

* * *

When a sixteenth person, this one a boy with spikey brown hair and muted green eyes, entered, they all turned to him just as they had me.

"Whoa, hey! Another new kid?" Hiro, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, asked.

"Huh? Then you guys are all…?" The boy trailed off.

From where I stood between Celeste, the Ultimate Gambler, and Hina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro, I smiled the slightest bit in sympathy.

"Yeah…we're all new here. Today's supposed to be our first day of class." Chihiro, the Ultimate Programmer, confirmed in a quiet voice.

"At least it would've been if all this weird stuff hadn't happened." I commented as I began to play with my pale green pony tail, a nervous habit of mine.

"Aw, come on. Nothing weird's going on, they're just trying to surprise us!" Hiro grinned brightly.

"You honestly believe that?" I questioned, honestly surprised as I stare at the clairvoyant. "You honestly think this is all a prank?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Hiro asked rhetorically as he confidently placed his hands in his pockets.

Before I could argue, as I very much wanted to, Celeste held her hand up in the signal for silence. I begrudgingly fell silent as I turn back to the boy who had just walked in.

"So, counting him, that makes sixteen. Seems like a good cutoff point, but I wonder if this is everyone…" Hifumi, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, noted as he adjusted his glasses.

"Um…how's it going? My name's Makoto Naegi." The boy, Makoto, introduced nervously. "Sorry I'm late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just…asleep."

"Whoa, you too?" Hiro asked, surprised.

"This is starting to seem like a pattern." I mutter to myself as I cross my arms thoughtfully and bite my lip.

"What is it they always say about patterns?" Hina asked.

"Where there is one, there is bound to be another. Curiouser and curiouser…" Celeste commented thoughtfully.

"So strange…I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!" Hifumi declared.

"Wasn't that obvious?" Hina whispered to me, causing me to laugh quietly.

"I think his superhero name should be Captain Obvious." I joked back, causing Hina to have to stifle her laughs. Thankfully, nobody else heard our exchange.

"Um…what are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now." Makoto said, confused.

"Just a moment! There's something else we must address!" Taka cut in loudly. Taka marched up until he was a small distance from Makoto and pointed at him, as if he was a professor in a video game or an attorney I remember hearing about in passing once. "Makoto! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware the meeting was to start at 8 am sharp!" Taka scolded loudly.

"Must he shout everything?" Celeste whispered to Hina and I as she rolled her eyes elegantly, I couldn't figure out how she did it but she did.

"Perhaps it is the only way he thinks he will be heard." Sakura, the Ultimate Martial Artist, commented, having overheard our conversation. "I apologize for eavesdropping."

"You're fine! It's not like we were talking about you." Hina waved it off.

"If we were, we'd be terrified. Or running." I muttered. Sakura was the most intimidating person I'd ever met, and that's saying a lot with my neighborhood.

"To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!" Taka continued, volume not changing.

"What's your problem? It's not like he _wanted_ to be late. He didn't have any control over it." Junko, the Ultimate Fashionista, rolled her eyes as she placed one hand on her hip.

"Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?" Hina suggested brightly.

"The hell!? Now's no time for friggin' introductions!" Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, protested.

"That may be true, but wouldn't it be better if we at least had _some_ idea of who everyone is?" I spoke up, not allowing myself to be intimidated.

"That's not the fuckin' point!" Mondo shouted as he whirled on me.

Despite my racing heart, I was _not_ going to back down.

"Do you honestly expect us to get anything done _without_ introductions?" I questioned, my tone taking on a threatening edge. A warning if Mondo pushed me farther. "At this point in time, we need to talk to each other."

"At least before digging into the bigger problems here." Celeste added, her voice sweet. "I mean, how are we even supposed to talk to each other if we do not know each other's names?"

"That's a good point…" Chihiro agreed as she played with her fingers nervously.

"Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?" Sayaka, the Ultimate Pop Sensation, summed up the plan.

Nobody argued and I smiled a sweet smile at Mondo that had a clear warning.

Don't push me.

* * *

Eventually, Makoto approached me and I smiled,

"I'm Hinatea Misaki, but you can just call me Tea. It's nice to meet you, Makoto."

"You too…you're the Ultimate Chef, right?" Makoto asked.

"Ah, so you heard about that." I sighed as I looked away. "Yeah, that's my title. It doesn't mean anything to me though. I'm only here to accomplish my goal."

"Your goal?" Makoto asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yep. I'm here to help my family." I nodded happily, proud of myself. "But enough about me. What about you?"

"I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student." Makoto admitted modestly. "I'm here cause those who graduate are set for life."

"Yeah, that's a pretty good reason to come here." I smiled. "If we ever figure out what the hell's going on, I wish you the best."

"You too." Makoto smiled. "So, uh, why'd you fight with Mondo like that?"

"Ah, that. Well, where I come from, if someone challenges your decision, you have to fight back. I learned how to do it subtly a long time ago. It comes in handy when I'm talking to asses and I'd rather not get into an actual fight." I explained as I played with my hair loosely.

"Wait, what? 'An actual fight'?" Makoto repeated in shock.

I winced as I realized what I let slip. _Damn it!_

"Uh, it's nothing. A-anyway, shouldn't you be meeting the others?" I deflected, holding my breath until Makoto walked away, in which I let it out.

That was too close.

* * *

When the luckster left the presence of Byakuya, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, I made my way over to his side.

"You shouldn't be so rude to them." I whispered to him, subtly so no one would notice us.

"Why? None of you are worth my time." Byakuya whispered back. I narrowed my eyes at him, a gaze he met back evenly with cold cobalt eyes.

"I'm serious K-" I started.

"Who said you had the privilege of acting as if nothing's changed?" Byakuya cut me off. "We are not who we used to be, _Hinatea_."

The emphasis he put on my full first name hurt more than I cared to admit. Has he really changed that much?

"Fine, whatever." I glared at him before I walked away, refusing to acknowledge the hurt in my heart.

"Are you okay, Tea?" Chihiro asked as she approached me.

"I'm fine." I sighed as she played with my yellow ribbon. "He's just being an ass, that's all."

"You act as if you know him." Celeste commented.

"Do you have a history with Byakuya?" Sakura questioned.

"Is this _really_ the time to be gossiping about my life?" I deflected dryly as I raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Someone's hiiiiding something~!" Junko practically sang.

"Shut up." I stated, my voice leaving no room for argument as I narrowed my eyes at the girls.

* * *

Once everyone was introduced, Byakuya spoke up.

"Okay, time to get down to business." He stated, already acting as the leader.

 _Not surprising._

"This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons." The heir added.

 _Yep, expected something along those lines too._

Byakuya wasn't the same as the one I remembered but nothing about how he acted was a surprise to me. Not a single thing _._

"Oh, that's true." Makoto agreed.

"You agree we're baboons?" I questioned in honest surprise. _Did I misread him?_

If he agreed with Byakuya, my opinion of him would reach a new low.

"No, of course not!" Makoto denied. "But, I think someone said something about a bigger problem or something? What was that about?"

"Well, you see…" Sayaka started as she played with the ends of her hair. "Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were "just asleep", right? Well…the same is true for all of us."

"What? Seriously!?" Makoto asked, shocked.

"Is it just me or is he more surprised the same thing happened to us then the fact it happened to him?" Hina whispered.

"Perhaps it is a part of his talent." Sakura suggested quietly.

"Seems odd though. But we should _really_ stop gossiping." I insisted.

"But is that not the point of having girlfriends?" Celeste asked.

"Not the time." I conceded. I could already tell these girls would be dragging me into countless gossip sessions while we were here.

"Just after each of us got to the main hall, we lost consciousness." Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star, was saying. "And when we came to, we were somewhere in the school! That's what happened to you, right?"

"B-but that's just…weird! That every one of us would get knocked out like that…" Makoto trailed off.

"Exactly! That's why we're all freaking out!" Mondo agreed.

"But we shouldn't be. We need to remain calm so we can figure this out." I spoke up as I brushed my bangs from my eyes.

"And how would you know?" Leon questioned, his voice more scared than angry.

I was about to argue back when-

"Stop talking." Byakuya ordered. It was so sudden, Leon instantly clamed up. I stared at Byakuya in awe for a second, yes a _second_ , before looked away. He wasn't my problem.

"But that's not the only thing." Taka added, his voice a bit quieter. "You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways, right?" His voice suddenly became louder. "But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What's that about!?"

"Plus, all my stuff's missing! Even my cellphone…" Junko added, her face forlorn and worried.

"Yeah, you're right. I haven't seen my PDA anywhere, either…" Chihiro agreed as she continued to nervously play with her fingers.

"And then there's the main hall here." Taka said, his fear and confusion making him quiet.

"He just keeps going back and forth, doesn't he?" Junko sighed as she played with her hair.

"I really don't think this is the time for gossip." Sayaka whispered.

"It's always time for gossip." Junko winked, even as her face still held the worry from before.

"The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch." Taka continued. "But there wasn't anything like that when I first got here…!" His voice suddenly became loud again. "What the heck!? What's it doing there!?"

"Yep, he does." Junko groaned. "I'm gonna get whiplash due to this guy."

"That is only if you spend time with him." Celeste commented.

"Come on, wouldn't you rather hang out with me?" Leon smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Not a chance." Junko turned her head away, causing us girls to laugh at the crestfallen look on Leon's face before he turned to Sayaka, trying to get information about the music industry out of her, at least that's what he claimed. I had my suspicions.

"Maybe we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know…crime or something?" Junko suggested, her voice scared.

Her words succeeded in silencing the whispering side conversations.

"What, like…a kidnapping?" Leon nervously asked. "You think maybe someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we're not actually at school?"

"That seems difficult to go unnoticed." Makoto commented.

"More like impossible." I added, sharing a look with the luckster.

"But it would explain everything, wouldn't it?" Sayaka questioned nervously. I noticed she stepped closer to Makoto, as if she felt safer standing near him.

"Come on, don't think like that. Cheer up!" Hiro said with an easy smile. "I bet this is all just part of the school's orientation procedure. Yeah, I'm sure that's it! So I'm just gonna take it easy for a bit."

"Oh…so you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?" Chihiro asked in relief.

"Huh. Well if that's all it is, it's nap time for me." Leon said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I was up _way_ too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye."

The class began to relax when a bell suddenly rang.

On instinct, I tensed up as I turned to the TV screen that showed nothing other than static and a…bear shaped shadow.

 _What the…?_

"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system!" A cheerful, cartoon like voice spoke through the speakers. "Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then…!"

As the voice continued to speak, I felt as if there was a ball of ice in my stomach. On a reflex, I reached my left hand to play with my right hand, specifically my fingers. I didn't even realize I was doing it.

"Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to start the entrance ceremony at…right now!" The voice continued. "Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience…That's all. I'll be waiting!"

With that, the screen turned dark.

The entire hall was silent. The dread settle over me like a blanket. It was an awful feeling, even if it was one I was familiar with on dark, stormy nights.

"…What. The. Hell was that just now?" Junko broke the silence, her voice full of terror and her skin pale.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me…" Byakuya instantly walked away.

"I-I'll be g-going too…" I said, my voice showing my fear, something I hated with an almost burning passion. But I could never get used to that feeling of dread, no matter how many times I felt it, I would always hate it.

I followed after Byakuya, both of us ignoring Junko yelling after us to wait. When we were out of the others' sight, I ran forward and made sure I walked closer to the heir.

 _If nothing else, his presence makes the feeling of dread lessen._ I justified to myself.

I knew I was lying, not matter how many times I thought that.

* * *

When we arrived at the gym and waited for everyone else, I made sure I stayed close to Byakuya. Thankfully, the heir said nothing, leaving me in peace for once.

 _If he had said anything, he'd_ wish _I had a wooden spoon on me._

We stood in silence, neither of us truly acknowledging the other.

Slowly, everyone else came, with Makoto being the last one again.

"Oh. It really does look like an entrance ceremony…" The luckster noted, his voice one of relief.

"See? Told ya! It's totally normal entrance ceremony stuff." Hiro grinned.

"Nothing about this is normal." I mumbled to Byakuya, who nodded the slightest bit in agreement. I didn't even notice I had broken our silent agreement to ignore each other.

When I realized it, I ignored the butterflies that filled my stomach to see Byakuya had responded to me, if only by nodding.

"Hey there, howdy, hell! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!" The same voice that had spoken over the speakers greeted them, the voice as playful and cheerful as it was over the speakers.

Suddenly, a teddy bear that was half black, with a jagged red eye and creepy smile, and half white, with a normal black eye and snout, hopped up from behind the table and landed on it.

"Huh? A…teddy bear?" Chihiro questioned, titling her head in confusion.

"I'm _not_ a teddy bear!" The bear protested, the voice the same as the one that greeted them.

"Sure, looks like one." I mumbled as I eyed the bear warily. Never judge a book by its cover, after all.

"I…am…Monokuma!" The bear, Monokuma, proclaimed. "And _I_ am this school's headmaster!"

Everyone looked lost and confused. Even Byakuya looked surprised, which isn't something that happens often. That's how you know something's out of the ordinary.

"Nice to meet you all!" Monokuma grinned, if that's what it could be called.

"Wh-? Waaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!" Hifumi cried in shock, looking as if he might have a heart attack.

"Calm down! I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it." Taka reassured, even though he sounded a bit uncertain himself. Or he was just thrown off by the turn of events, I couldn't tell.

"I told you already, I'm _not_ a teddy bear…" Monokuma said, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!" The bear raised his paws threateningly, as if he could attack at any moment.

"Waaaaah! It moved!" Hifumi shrieked in fear, looking even closer to having a heart attack.

"Seriously man, calm down!" Mondo ordered. "It's prolly just a remote control toy or somethin'."

"How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench…" Monokuma slumped over in depression before he stood up and seemed to smile. "My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it!"

"That's a lofty claim." Byakuya muttered to me.

"Do you think you could understand it?" I asked softly, curious. There was very little I knew Byakuya couldn't do.

"Possibly." He acknowledged.

"Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR it!" Monokuma joked.

"Now he's doing puns?" Hina asked.

"This hardly seems the time." Sakura commented.

"It's _never_ the time for puns like that." Junko said, her voice scared.

"'Bear' that? Really? You are…unfortunate." Celeste stated.

"Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started…" Monokuma continued brightly.

"Giving up already? No other stupid bear puns?" Junko asked.

"Th-that seems like a-a g-good thing." Toko, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, stuttered.

"Let's just see what's going on before he makes any more." I mumbled as I stepped closer to Byakuya the slightest bit, as my hand came up to play with the leather cord around my neck.

"Quiet down now, quiet down. Ah, okay, so…!" Monokuma spoke as brightly as he had the whole 'entrance ceremony'.

"He has abandoned the gag…" Sakura noted.

"That's a good thing…right?" Chihiro asked.

"It means we don't have to listen to anymore puns, at least." Makoto offered the bright side, even as his eyes spoke of his fear.

"Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And…good morning!" As Monokuma instructed them, he performed the actions.

Taka was the only one to stand up at attention and bow. He finished by shouting, at the very top of his lungs,

"Good morning!"

"Y-you don't have to s-say it back…" Toko corrected.

"I'm definitely gonna go deaf around this guy." Junko muttered as she rubbed her ears.

"Dude, could you be any louder?" Mondo asked.

"Seriously! I just wanted to take a nap!" Leon groaned.

"It is important to always greet a teacher respectfully!" Taka told all of them loudly.

"Does _any_ of this seem normal to you!?" I cried. "No, it doesn't, so stop acting like it is!" The dread grew in the pit of my stomach, making me testier than normal, even testier than when I had to warn Mondo to not push me. This was a level of unease I had hoped to never feel again.

Byakuya sent me an indecipherable look, even as he continued to pay attention to the bear.

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!" Monokuma grinned.

"This…doesn't sound good…" Sayaka said from her seat next to Makoto, who nodded in agreement with her.

"First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like." The bear continued. "Now, ah, make no mistake-you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world."

The way Monokuma said those last four words only set me more on edge than I already was, causing me to step even closer to Byakuya.

"And to protect such splendid hope…" Monokuma was still talking. "you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school. Ah, now then…regarding the end date of this communal life…"

The dread only seemed to increase as I heard those words.

I knew, without a doubt, that the words that followed that sentence was going to change my life forever.

"There isn't one!" The bear declared. "In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."

"Wh-what did he just say? Until the day we d-die?" Toko asked, shocked.

"This has to be a joke!" Hiro suggested, his smile completely easy going. "This is all one big joke they're pulling!"

"Th-this _is_ a joke, right?" Leon asked.

"Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences." Monokuma reassured.

"That's the least of our worries right now!" Sayaka protested as she moved closer to Makoto.

"Yeah, what the hell? You're saying I have to live here forever?" Junko added. "You're screwing with us, right?"

"I am not screwing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure." Monokuma growled.

"And how can we be sure of that?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah! How are we supposed to know you aren't lying right now?" Hina demanded.

"We do not have any reason to believe you, after all." Celeste added.

"I ain't buying this shit, that's for sure!" Mondo agreed.

"Mondo! How could you say something like that against our headmaster!?" Taka cried, shocked.

"He's a fucking bear, moron!" Mondo argued.

"He's still our headmaster and deserves our respect!" Taka countered.

"Ah, and just for your information…you're completely cut off from the outside world." Monokuma picked now, of all times, to speak up again. "So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

"Cut off…?" Makoto repeated, shocked. "So all those metal plates all over the school…they're there to keep us trapped in here?"

"That's exactly what they're there for!" Monokuma nodded. "No matter how much you may yell or scream for help…help will not come."

"That's sick!" Leon cried.

"This can't be happening!" Hina cried, scared out of her mind.

"How is anything of this magnitude even possible?" I questioned before I turned to Byakuya. "Could your family have done something on this scale?"

"You know very well it could have. But I highly doubt my family would do this." Byakuya answered, his voice cold.

"Then how is it possible?" I questioned, feeling a sense of hopelessness crush onto my shoulders.

Byakuya didn't have an answer.

"So, with all that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!" Monokuma encouraged.

"Come on, what the hell is this?" Leon questioned. "I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke."

"Yeah! Cut this shit out! It isn't funny anymore!" Mondo added, his voice both aggravated and nervous at the same time.

"Tell us what's really going on here!" Hifumi demanded, trying to sound tough but failing entirely.

"You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you." Monokuma growled angrily. Just as quickly as it came, however, the anger was gone and instead the bear giggled. "But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor…well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when the time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."

"Having to live here forever would be…quite the problem." Celeste stated.

"'Quite the problem'? It's a big fucking problem!" Mondo shouted.

"Do we…really have to live here forever?" Chihiro asked, her hands playing with her skirt as her fear seemed to skyrocket.

"How did this happen?" Sayaka asked, her hands clenched so tightly, her knuckles were white. As if he knew she needed reassurance, Makoto placed one of his hands over Sayaka's.

"Th-this can't be h-happening!" Toko cried.

"What're we gonna dooooo?" Hifumi shouted.

"Come, now. What's the matter with all of you?" Monokuma asked. "You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?"

"This isn't exactly what we signed up for." Makoto stated.

"It's the exact opposite!" Hina added.

"Come on, guys! It's all just staged, we're fine!" Hiro brushed it all off.

"Are you insane!? This isn't a joke!" I cried, shocked the clairvoyant was _still_ insisting that.

"Of course, it is!" Hiro insisted yet again.

"You imbecile-" I yelled, ready to scream at the clairvoyant until he saw _reality_ when I was cut off.

"Oh, but you know…" Monokuma spoke up, catching our attention. "I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There _is_ one way for you to leave the school…"

"R-really…?" Toko asked as the entire class felt a spark of hope.

"And what would that be?" Byakuya asked, speaking aloud for the first time since they reached the gym, his voice as pompous and arrogant as ever.

"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave!" Monokuma said proudly. "I call it…the Graduation Clause! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule."

Clearly, Monokuma had the attention of all of us students and we could all see his glee at that fact.

"As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle." Monokuma explained. "And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"

"What do you mean by 'disrupt the harmony'?" Byakuya instantly demanded.

Those words made the dread only grow even more, if that was possible.

 _I didn't think it was…_ I thought.

"Puhuhu…well, you know…" Monokuma grinned. "If one person were to **murder** another."

"M-murder!?" Makoto, Toko, Sayaka, Chihiro and I all yelled in unison.

"You can't be serious!" Taka cried, his eyes filled with horror.

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter." Monokuma continued almost casually.

 _There are so many things wrong with this bear._

My horror and fear only seemed to pile on even more as said bear kept talking, causing me to unconsciously, _yes_ , unconsciously damn it, step closer to Byakuya.

"You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that." Monokuma grinned. "The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst possible way. Puhuhu. I bet _that_ got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh?"

"This…this is sick! _You're_ sick!" I cried as I grabbed Byakuya's arm and stepped closer to him.

 _I can't see that…no deaths,_ please dear God _, let there be no deaths! I can't see anymore…I can't!_

Already I could feel the memories trying to sneak up on me and I quickly buried my face in Byakuya's shoulder, focusing on him and the voices of our classmates over the thoughts racing through my mind.

"Tea! You cannot insult the headmaster!" Taka cried.

"Is that really the problem right now!? Look how scared she is!" Hina cried.

"I-I'm sorry…" Taka apologized softly, hanging his head in shame.

I mumbled something, I didn't even know what it was as I shut my eyes tightly for a second, opening them again as I heard voices.

"W-we have t-to k-k-ki-kill each other t-to l-leave…" Toko said, as if to herself.

"To do this to us is inhumane!" Sakura growled as she clenched her fists, causing some of the students to back away in fear.

"Why? Why would you do this?" Sayaka asked, trembling violently, her skin pale as she turned her hand over and clutched to Makoto's hand as if it were a lifeline.

"Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know…taking that **hope** and seeing get murdered creates a darkened shadow of **despair**." Monokuma grinned. "And I just find that so…darn…exciting!"

"This is so messed up…" Hina gasped.

"What the hell are you talking about!? To kill each other is…it's…!" Leon stuttered.

"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it." Monokuma said, as if Leon _wasn't_ going to mention morals.

"We know what it means, that's not the problem! Why do we have to kill each other!?" Hina demanded.

"Yeah! Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!" Hifumi insisted.

Byakuya looked down at me, my head still buried in his shoulder, which he did nothing about I might add, as Monokuma's voice took a dangerous turn.

I began to tremble as it did so.

"…Blabbering?" The bear repeated. "Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering!? Stop blabbering on about blabbering on! You guys just don't get it, do you? 'Let us go, let us go!' You keep on saying the same thing over and over and over and over…! Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"

"Alright, come on…how long are you gonna keep this up?" Hiro, still relaxed as ever, spoke up.

"Eh?" Monokuma asked.

"You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now." Hiro spoke confidently.

"Reveal the trick?" Monokuma repeated.

"Yeah, cuz I mean…y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like…" Hiro trailed off.

"Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way." Mondo growled before he pushed Hiro aside and stood right in front of Monokuma. "Listen up, asshole! This shit's gone too far! What the hell kinda joke _IS_ this!?"

"Joke? What, you mean like your hair?" Monokuma questioned.

 _Shouldn't have said that._

The thought fleetingly passed through my mind before all hell broke loose.

"FFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-!" Mondo roared before he jumped in the air and practically flew like a bullet towards Monokuma before he caught the bear around the neck and lifted him off the table he sat on. "Gotcha, you little piece of shit! I dunno if you're a toy or stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I'm gonna rip you to fuckin' shreds!"

"Waah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!" Monokuma cried as he waved his little arms helplessly.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mondo roared. "Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…"

Suddenly, a beeping sound filled the air.

"What, no smartass comeback this time!?" Mondo demanded, his voice cocky.

Monokuma remained silent.

 _Something isn't right._

"Stop that goddamn beeping and SAY SOMETHING!" Mondo ordered as the beeping speeded up.

"Watch out! Get rid of it!" Kyoko, the only unknown Ultimate, ordered.

"Huh…?" Mondo questioned as the beeping became even faster.

"Hurry up and throw it!" Kyoko ordered, her voice like steel.

Without a word, Mondo threw the bear and as soon as it was airborne, it exploded.

"The hell!?" Mondo cried as everyone cried out in shock. "Th-that sure as shit wasn't a joke. It blew the hell up…"

I blinked several times as my senses returned to me for the second time that day and I noticed that I was now tightly clutching Byakuya's jacket in my hands and he had an arm around me. Confused, the two of us shared a look before we slowly let go, hoping nobody noticed. Despite that, however, I stayed right next to him so if anything happened, I could grab him.

I refused to acknowledge that thought.

"But you know…this means that the teddy bear's been destroyed, right?" Chihiro asked, hopefully.

For a second, we had hope.

Then it all came crashing down as that now dreadful voice spoke up.

"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!" The bear's voice said before he appeared.

"Uwah! There's another one…?" Leon asked in shock, horror filling his eyes.

"Gotta admire their determination!" Hiro laughed.

"H-how can you b-be so c-calm about th-this!?" Toko cried

"I do not think this is the time to discuss such matters." Celeste cut in.

"You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!" Mondo accused.

"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all." Though Monokuma's voice was playful and matter of fact, the claws on his white paw suggested otherwise. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt."

"What kind of school…would allow such punishment?" Taka questioned, his faith in the _school_ of all things coming into question.

"One ruled by a psycho, that's who!" Mondo answered, his fists clenched tightly.

"H-hey…so does this mean there's like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?" Junko asked, her voice shaking.

"Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes." Monokuma answered. "Plus, don't forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you're caught breaking any rules, well…you all just saw what happened, right? Puhuhu…and I won't be so forgiving next time. So don't let it happen again!"

"Th-that's not even punishment. That's just…wrong…" Hina said in shock.

"That's sick." I whispered, grabbing Byakuya's arm gently. I'd never faced anything like this before. I needed him to ground me, though I didn't even acknowledge it.

"How…can a school like this even…exist?" Chihiro asked, her voice full of fear.

"This is…a nightmare…" Makoto said, his voice shaking.

"Now then, lastly…to commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…" Monokuma said, his voice as gleeful as ever. "This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh?" As he spoke, the bear walked around and handed each of them a handbook. Most of the students backed away from him, terrified of what could happen.

Hifumi looked like he was gonna either have a heart attack or spontaneously combust.

Chihiro was trembling violently, as if she were having a seizure.

Junko looked so pale, she could be mistaken for either an albino or a ghost.

Hina stepped closer to Sakura, as if the martial artist could protect her. Then again, she probably could.

Sayaka and Makoto were huddled close together, though they appeared to not realize this fact, their hands still tightly intertwined.

Hiro sent Hina an easygoing smile, trying to reassure her only to end up looking like an idiot to everyone for thinking this was a joke.

Taka looked horrified, as if the very foundation of his world had been shaken.

Mondo and Leon shared equally infuriated looks as they glared at Monokuma, though neither moved.

I was unaware of the fact that I was once again clutching Byakuya's jacket as I trembled. He seemed equally unaware of the fact that his right arm, the arm closest to me, was resting on my lower back.

Toko was shaking violently, holding her braids in her hands as she stuttered nonsense.

Byakuya, Kyoko, Celeste and Sakura were the only ones to look even remotely calm, though it was clear Sakura was trying to control her temper as she stood in front of Hina.

"As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it…the e-Handbook!" Monokuma proclaimed as he returned to the table, sounding extremely proud of himself. "Ahem. Yes, well, moving on…when you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten pounds! Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!" Monokuma's voice suddenly turned dangerous. "You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated." Suddenly, his voice turned mocking and gleeful. "Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators."

"Punishments involving us being killed seem a _bit_ excessive." Makoto muttered to himself.

"A _bit_?" I questioned. "More like-"

"Big fuckin' excessive!" Mondo finished, but he still did nothing.

I didn't acknowledge that the biker had finished my sentence exactly as I planned to.

"Is this for real?" Leon questioned as he glared at his e-Handbook.

"It appears to be." Celeste confirmed.

"Waaaaaah!" Hifumi cried in pure terror.

"Okay, well…that brings our entrance ceremony to a close!" Monokuma grinned. "Please enjoy your abundant dreary school life! And…see ya!"

The bear jumped up and vanished beneath the table. Leon and Mondo instantly ran up to the stage and examined the table only to see Monokuma had vanished entirely.

"The hell…?" Both the biker and baseball player asked in unison.

"So, guys…how would you define what we just experienced?" Taka asked, voice subdued in his shock.

"How…? Why…? I don't understand any of this…" Leon trailed off as he jumped off the stage.

"We have to l-live here forever…or…k-kill?" Toko summed up their situation in her horrified stutter as she grabbed her head and shook her head, as if to deny the situation she just summed up. "Wh-what…? What just happened!?"

"How can we just accept this?" I asked as I refused to release Byakuya, at least for now. He didn't seem to be planning on removing his arm from my lower back either and I took comfort in the fact that I knew somebody in a situation this god forsaken _awful._

"Everyone, we just need to calm down." Kyoko spoke up. "First, let's just take a second to summarize everything we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices. Choice number one is that we stay here, living a 'communal life' together until the day we die. And the other choice is…"

"If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?" Celeste finished for the purple haired girl.

"But…killing someone…that's…" Chihiro protested as tears of pure fear formed in her eyes.

"We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school." Hifumi said, his voice shaking in terror as was he. "And now we're supposed to start killing each other? This is…this is…this is…! What _IS_ this!?" The fanfic creator looked like he was gonna have a heart attack, again.

"A lie, is what it is. All these ridiculous things we've heard…this all has to be fake!" Taka denied. His voice was far from convincing and nowhere close to his normal volume.

"Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What matters is…" Byakuya spoke up before he turned to glare at the rest of the students. "Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this…?"

"What!?" I cried as I released the heir in my shock and jumped back. I didn't acknowledge the slight disappointment I felt as I stared at the heir in shock and disbelief. "You're…you're not saying…"

I fell silent as I began to look at everyone else. They were all silent, looking at each other in fear and suspicion.

That's the moment when it truly hit me. This was real. Nothing we said to deny it was true, all of this was real. And that's when the suspicions came, when I began to suspect that maybe he had a point. If someone was seriously considering killing one of us in order to escape…who would it be? Who would kill and who would die? I had no way of knowing. All I knew was the school that used to bring the world so much _**hope**_ was now only a school that brought _**despair**_ to those within. That's how this all began.

* * *

 **Man, that was long. So, the reason this chapter is so long was to fit the game's whole prologue in. The other chapters will be daily life, investigation and trial in order to fit, well, everything. And of course, there will be an epilogue that will connect this story to the next.**

 **Now I hope you guys enjoyed! It'll be a while before I update again because I have other stories and stuff to write.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review to let me know what you think! Later!**


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